Long-term priorities

Use new and existing observations in combination with modeling experiments to refine our understanding of the present and historical circulation (and related transports of heat and freshwater as well as flow pathways) in the North and South Atlantic.

Observational studies should focus on mechanisms and pathways that identify and explain coherent and incoherent signals between different study sites, thereby reaching consensus on which signals represent the large-scale AMOC versus more localized circulation patterns.

Synthesize modeling and observational evidence to build scientific consensus on the variability and change of the AMOC over the last 50 years, using and defining observable proxies as appropriate.

Efforts within the data assimilation community should focus on reaching a consensus on the evolution of the AMOC over the last 50 years, consistent with other lines of observational evidence.